Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-12-29
THE WATER SYSTEM.
How the People Of the City OBJ.
tain Drink.

Or. Hagan, the Health Officer, has
prepared the following description OF
the water supply of this city:
There are three systems OF domes-
tic water supply in the city, namely :
City Water Works, Citizens Water
Company and Mountain Water Com
pany.
The City Water Works supply do
mestic water for the least elevated
portions of the city, including the
business part Of the city. This com
pany gets its supply from Crystal
Springs, natural reservoir or lake
some five miles up the Los Angeles
River. This supply is evidently kept
up by the water filtering through the
ground from the river. The water is
clear and OF very good quality. From
this fountain the water is con-
duc,ed in an underground
flume to a large reservoir
on the hill north of the city. The
reservoir contains twenty millions OF
gallons, and the water is distributed
from this reservoir in pipes to con-
sumers.
The Citizens Water Company sup
plies the higher elevations, including
the hills in the northwestern part OF
the city. Their supply is taken from
the Los Angeles river some ten miles
above the city, and conducted from
it's SOU ce to reservoir located in the
city east OF the Sisters Hospital. The
water is then forced by steam pumps
to large distributing reservoir two
hundred feet above its source. These
reservoirs, both receiving and dis
tributing, are rooted over, and
also protected from drain
age from the surrounding land.
This company is now supplied with
Hyatt's filter, one of the finest filter
ing machines in the United States.
Their water supply is now abundant,
pure and wholesome.
The Mountain Water Company is a
new company whose pipes have Just
reached East Los Angeles. The
water supply comes from the mount
aims, first supplying the town OF Gar
vanza, then reaching and supplying
portion OF the citizens of East Los An
geles.
WELLS.
A very considerable proportion of
the citizens are yet supplied with well
water for domestic use, the pipes from
water works not having reached them.
Well water here, like well water else
where, is good and bad, owing
mainly to cleanly or uncleanly sur
roundings. No supply of drinking
water, in any country, is SO apt to be
impure as well water. A we'll is liable
to drain the surface of earth around
1t equal to three times its depth,
which area oflen includes stables,
privies and cess.pools, the contents
of which may percolate through the
ground to the we'll, converting the
water into dangerous poison. I'm
fortunately fluid excrement and other
foul substances that pollute the soil
around we'll do not change the ap'
pearancc of the water, and very rare
ly the taste any perceptible extent,
and many continue to pollute the
water from year to year without a
suspicion of its poisonous character.
Not only the greatest care should be
taken to keep surface water out OF
wells, but the infiltration through the
ground from manure piles, privies
and cess-pools should be guarded
against. Polluted well water is one
of the very common causes Of ty
phoid fever throughout the country
and the attention of the people should
be directed to this matter. In Los
Angeles the past year twO-thirds Of
all our cases of typhoid fever could
be traced directly to impure we'll
matter.